In the real world—
All the audience saw was the sleeping Tarountula start to tremble violently, as if its body were no longer under its control. A faint whimper escaped its mouth, like it was enduring something unspeakably terrifying. Finally, drained by endless fear, its eyes rolled back and it lost the ability to battle.
Gast's figure reappeared in the arena. She clapped her claws together as if she'd finished a trivial errand, then drifted lazily back to Jason's side.
Katy's expression had grown very grave. She silently recalled Tarountula and drew her third Poké Ball.
"Go, Spidops!"
A Spidops, noticeably larger than most of its kind, appeared on the field. Its eight long legs were crisscrossed with fine scars; its eyes were ferocious—clearly a veteran fighter.
"Sticky Web!"
She'd realized that standard tactics were useless against this Gengar. All she could do now was rely on Spidops's rich experience—defend, counter, and look for chances to wear the opponent down.
The moment it entered, Spidops shot several nearly invisible strands from the tips of its forelegs, lacing them across the ground in front of itself. It was a highly concealed trap—anything that stepped into it would be bound at once.
But traps meant nothing to Gast.
Facing the readied Spidops, Gast wore that same dismissive look. She didn't even feint an attack—her body simply sank, merging into her own shadow on the floor. The shadow came alive and flowed quickly along the ground, ignoring the laid threads entirely, until it pooled beneath Spidops's feet.
Startled, Spidops looked down at the shadow twisting under it—
A heartbeat later, Gast burst from its shadow, face-to-face at point-blank range.
Under Spidops's wide-eyed stare, Gast opened her mouth and spat a ball of viscous purple sludge.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Point-blank hit. The blast drove Spidops back again and again, spattering it with toxic muck. It roared in pain, then muscled through the hit and scythed its blade-like forelegs down at the Gengar right in front of it.
Gast's body blurred again—intangible. The furious strike whiffed and crashed into the floor, throwing up dust.
From there, the fight became a one-sided show.
Spidops unleashed a flurry of slashes, its sharp forelegs carving afterimages through the air. No matter how fierce the barrage, it couldn't touch Gast. She slipped between solidity and mist, weaving through the dense attacks with ease—barely shifting from her spot, just swaying left and right to evade every cut.
She didn't rush to finish it. Like a patient hunter, she needled the foe with assorted moves.
"Confuse Ray!"
A strange beam flashed from Gast's eyes and struck Spidops. Its movements hitched; confusion clouded its gaze. It shook its head angrily to clear it, but the world already tilted and spun. It began lashing out at random—friend or foe—slicing at empty air, even hammering itself once with a heavy blow.
The crowd was transfixed.
From start to finish, this was toying. The mighty Spidops looked like a clown in the Gengar's palm.
At last, as Spidops staggered and struck itself again in confusion, Gast took the opening. A Shadow Ball she'd been charging—denser than any before, energy packed tight—shot from her hand with a scream and nailed Spidops square in the head. With a resounding crash, its hulking body rocked back and slammed to the ground, unable to rise.
Katy's three main Pokémon were all down. Gast, floating at center stage, hadn't even broken a sweat—utterly composed.
Silence. Deeper than any before. Everyone was stunned by the overwhelming gap. This wasn't a close match; it was a complete rout.
Katy stood dazed for a long moment before slowly recalling Spidops. She drew a deep breath; the look she gave Jason and Gast was more serious than ever. She lifted a fourth Poké Ball—yet her mouth quirked in a wry smile.
"I admit it. I underestimated you completely," her amplified voice rang out. "Normally, beating my three would mean you've cleared the gym and earned the badge. But…"
Her tone shifted; fire lit her eyes again. "It's rare to meet an opponent this interesting. How about we play a little longer—care to go all the way?"
Jason remained calm. "Bring it on," he said simply.
Beside him, Gast puffed out her chest, planted her hands on her hips, and mimicked his tone in a bright voice: "Bring it on!"
The goofy echo snapped the tension; Katy couldn't help but laugh. "Heh—what a delightful Pokémon. Watch yourself, though—my next partner isn't so easy."
She whipped the ball across the field. When the white light faded, a massively built Ursaring stood there. The unusual pick sparked a wave of murmurs—using an off-type Pokémon in an official gym match was rare. This Ursaring was larger than normal, muscles knotted, eyes fierce—and curiously, it gave off a faint sweet, creamy scent that clashed with its savage look.
Gast wasn't cowed; if anything, her crimson eyes glittered with excitement. She licked her lips. She could feel it—this big guy was stronger than the previous three put together. Ever since evolving into Gengar, her confidence had swelled; the old timidity was gone. For the new "lady," battle was a game to be enjoyed—and this sweet-scented Ursaring was clearly a new toy worth playing with.
The crowd's uproar didn't touch the tension on the field. The fragrant Ursaring locked eyes with Gast, four thick limbs planted solidly, chest heaving with each breath, menace rolling off it.
"Now—show it what you can do! Sweet Scent!" Katy commanded alongside its entrance.
Ursaring threw its jaws wide and roared. A pink, buttery-sweet gas billowed from its mouth and spread through the air. It smelled pleasant but carried a strange effect—Gast felt her focus blur and her danger sense dull.
Evasion dropped sharply.
"Now! Slash into Hammer Arm!" Katy snapped, crisp and fast.
Ursaring charged. For something so big, its speed was shocking; it was in Gast's face almost instantly. A wicked claw came down. Gast's form wavered—trying to phase as before—but the Sweet Scent threw her timing off by a split-second. The claw skimmed her edge, peeling away a wisp of ghostly energy.
The miss didn't matter; the other arm was already following through. That huge limb came down with crushing force.
"Hammer Arm!"
This time, Gast couldn't fully dodge. The heavy blow slammed into her side. Pain jolted through her; she cried out, flung sideways like a cut kite, skidding and rolling before she steadied.
The ground shook from the hit; cracks spidered where the Hammer Arm landed, and dust billowed up.
The stands went quiet. Gast rose, purple vapors fraying from the edges of her once-solid form—scuffed and ragged. She shook her head. No fear in those scarlet eyes—only a flare of insulted fury.
The lady's pride wouldn't accept being smacked around.
She hissed at Ursaring. "Will-O-Wisp!"
Three ghost-blue flames winked into existence, arcing from three angles toward Ursaring. It swatted, trying to bat them aside, but the Will-O-Wisps curved like they had eyes, slipping past its guard and clinging to its fur. Blue fire burned quietly—Ursaring was burned.
Katy didn't flinch; the corner of her mouth curled in a got-you smile. As expected. Instead of weakening, the burned Ursaring grew stronger. It threw back its head with a deafening roar, muscles swelling visibly, a red aura steaming off its hide.
Its attack had risen.
Jason, who'd been silent, narrowed his eyes. One glance at Ursaring's state and he had it pegged.
Guts.
With that ability, a status condition sharply boosts Attack. Katy's plan had been clear from the start—show a tempting opening, bait Gast into using a status move like Will-O-Wisp.
"Gast," Jason called—quiet but clear. "Its attack is up. Be careful. Don't trade blows."
She glanced back and nodded hard. "Heh!"
Her battle cry rang out as she shifted tactics—no more hovering in place. She used her levitation to move at high speed, circling and dancing with the berserk Ursaring.
"Night Shade!"
She zipped and fired black lances of shadow from her hands. They couldn't chunk Ursaring, but every hit shaved off a steady sliver of HP. Ursaring, powered by Guts, gritted through the burn's chip damage and tore after her, eyes blood-red—every swing whipping up a vicious gale.
"High Horsepower!" Katy ordered.
Ursaring gave up chasing the nimble Gengar and clawed the ground with all four limbs, turning itself into an out-of-control heavy truck that barreled across the field. Its target wasn't Gast specifically but the arena itself—broad, indiscriminate collisions to wreck terrain, shrink Gast's space, and force her out.
The bout entered a stalemate. Ursaring hit like a freight train and had a deep HP pool, but the burn kept draining it, making it increasingly irritable. Gast was slippery and had the type edge, but she couldn't finish it in one strike; she had to kite and chip.
Time ticked by. Ursaring's movements began to slow under the burn's constant sting. Gast still floated above the ground, looking in control.
Then, dodging one swipe, she seemed to make the tiniest mistake. Ursaring, still raging, pounced on it.
"Hammer Arm!"
It roared and swung with everything it had. Gast tried to slip it—but too late. The edge of the blow raked her again; she cried out and shot backward, tumbling through the air like a severed kite.
"Now! Finish it!" Katy's eyes lit up.
Ursaring, sensing blood, bent its legs to leap and deliver the final strike.
Just when everyone thought it was over—another reversal. Mid-flight, Gast forced her body to steady in an impossible posture. Facing the Ursaring coiling to pursue, a sly glint flashed in her scarlet eyes. A move she'd prepped long ago fired from her hand in an instant—a gray-black mass, like energy woven from nightmares.
"Dream Eater!"
~~~
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